The use of software reliability measures in project management

The execution time theory of software reliability developed by the author provides measures that offer promise as valuable tools in managing a software project. The measures furnish excellent current status indicators and permit schedule forecasts to be developed. The relationships among reliability, project completion date, project cost, and various resource parameters can be examined through simulation as an aid in making management decisions. Managers have indicated that the conceptual framework provided is valuable in understanding the testing process. Experience has been gained in the use of the theory on a number of projects. A program has been developed to handle most of the calculations.